McKee v. United States was a Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether the United States government had the right to take possession of a vessel that had been seized by a private individual. The case arose when a private individual, John McKee, seized a vessel that had been abandoned by its owner. McKee then attempted to sell the vessel, but the United States government intervened and took possession of the vessel. McKee then sued the United States government, arguing that the government had no right to take possession of the vessel. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the United States government, holding that the government had the right to take possession of the vessel. The Court reasoned that the government had the right to take possession of the vessel in order to protect the public interest. The Court also noted that the government had the right to take possession of the vessel in order to prevent it from being used for illegal purposes. As such, the Court held that the government had the right to take possession of the vessel and that McKee had no legal right to sell it.

In the case of McKee v. United States, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a patent for an invention could be revoked due to fraud or misrepresentation in its application. The majority opinion held that such revocation was possible and allowed Congress to pass laws allowing it. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that patents were property rights which should not be taken away without due process of law as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. He argued that any attempt to revoke a patent must follow established legal procedures and provide adequate compensation for any losses incurred by the inventor as a result of their loss of property rights. Furthermore, he noted that there had been no precedent set in either English or American common law for revoking patents on grounds other than failure to pay fees or taxes associated with them; thus making it unconstitutional for Congress to do so without providing proper compensation first.